Hi, I'm new here. So, I'm Hannah and I have a few questions about TMJ and gum recession.

I have had TMJ since I was 13, but was correctly diagnosed when I have 15. TMJ (here at least) is only covered by one or 2 insurances, and I have health insurance through the state, and that does not cover dental for any adult. My family is poor and I don't work/drive due to my GAD, so when I have a problem, I usually try to find home remedies to help with them. So far, so good. But all of a sudden I notices my two bottom front teeth started moving apart, creating a gap. I didn't think much of it because my teeth move all the time due to my TMJ, very slightly but still annoying. I have a crowding problem in my back teeth and a spacing problem in the front (I have a gap and crocked teeth in the front top teeth) so flossing is a struggle. Once my bottom teeth were done moving (I knew they were done because I didn't feel the need to teethe any more) I noticed the two teeth were "taller" i.e. the gum line is receding. It scared me a bit and I thought my teeth were going to fall out, with the added stress of not being able to see a dentist. Shortly after I started having bad sensitivity, possibly having my roots exposed or something. I brush my teeth regularly, so I ruled out any lack of hygiene problems, and I was wondering if I could use some sort of over the counter something to help with it.

Just for the record, I have been using the Sensodyn Pro-Namel Gental Whitening toothpaste, Listerine Original mouth wash, blue Scoope (I can't stand the taste of the Listerine) and the Orajel stuff. I'm okay with this routine, although the Orajel really bothers me sometimes because I'll get it on my lips and tongue and I don't like the way it feels.

I'm sorry this is so long, but I'm kind of desperate for a home remedy due lack of awesome insurance.

The following user gives a hug of support to hannah482:
Jazzmin2012 (05-19-2012)

Hello, I have the same problem. I believe my TMJ started back when I was a child and had my tonsils removed. The clamp that they use to keep your mouth open during surgery was apparently extended to far. Still to this day I can dislocate my jaw somewhat because of that. That was when I was 13 and I am now 37 years old. I've just learned to deal with it but I do get really bad headaches from time to time.

You mentioned you had spacing in your lower teeth? I too have the same problem but I always thought it was from years of smoking. I have since quit but I still have the spacing in the lower teeth as well as my two upper teeth. Do you smoke by any chance?

I just recently acquired health and dental insurance and plan to find out what is going on with this. I will let you know what I find out and maybe you can report back what you find also.

The Following User Says Thank You to Jazzmin2012 For This Useful Post:
hannah482 (05-21-2012)

Oh my goodness thank you so much for this. I just find the whole thing odd. I got my TMJ after having mono. I only was sick for about a week, but i was swollen for a few months, and the pressure in my jaw from my sinuses never went away. I also have a lot of stress in my life, which made it worse and explains the shingles at such a young age as well.

I am a smoker, I started when I was 14 (bad I know) and because of my anxiety issues it's hard to stop. And addiction. I am getting treatment for my anxiety and although I don't really want to, maybe I'll eventually quit.

I get really bad TMJ migraines, to the point where I almost pass out of the pain and i basically loose control on my body i.e. getting very tense and not being able to relax. This scares me because my face is swollen, and gets worse, and my left temple is swollen as well, and I don't want anything bad to happen. And because of this, I've limited myself from a lot. I stopped doing school work in high school because every time I did, I would get one of these headaches. I use to get in trouble for going to the nurse so I ended up sleeping it off in class. I just barley graduated last year because of it.

I've always had a gap and spacing problem on my top teeth, but since my jaw went nuts, my bottom teeth did too. My two front bottom teeth use to be really really really close together, to the point where I couldn't get floss in between them. Then, one day they started moving apart, and then got wicked sensitive, looking taller and such. As of right now, its just one tooth, which makes me feel silly, but the Oraljel seems to help it a little.

It's just scary because I know it can get worse but I don't have proper insurance to even see a dentist. Thank you so much for helping me as much as you can. Words can't even begin to describe how relieved I am.

I also wanted to mention that I tried the Sensodyne toothpaste at one point and it really irritated my gums and made things worse. I don't know if it was because of the sodium flouride in it or what but it hurt so I stopped using it. I've been using Tom's flouride free toothpaste for the past couple of years and its much better. I also use OraMD which has done wonders for keeping my mouth clean. I also drink a lot of Green Tea which has done wonders for me with any kind of irritation and it also seems to help with any really bad headaches I get.

The Sensodyne toothpaste actually helps a lot for me. Doesn't cure all of the discomfort or fix anything, but helps a lot. My only issue is that the rest of my gums, not including the effected two front bottom receding teeth, get very sore very quickly with what I eat or something. I think this is because of the mouth wash routine I do, and I plan on trying an alcohol free mouthwash to have it be more gentle. I usually mix it with some water, but it still leaves my mouth sore, but still does wonders for the teeth I'm trying to save.

I tried going on OralMD, but I got very lost. But I blame my lap top for that one, so I will try it again. And as for green tea, that is a great tip, but I do not like the taste of tea. Maybe I'll try it here and there to see how it works, I'll pretty much do anything at this point.

Once again thank you so much, you have no idea how much I appreciate this.